2 Fort Riley soldiers are considered AWOL

Aug. 2, 2014 - 12:55PM
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FORT RILEY, KAN. — The father of one of two Fort Riley soldiers reported missing from the military base has raised concerns about his son's apparent disappearance.

Pfc. Richard "Connor" Ferguson, 19, and 20-year-old Pvt. Bradley Kappel were last seen July 21, according to a flier from the Kansas Missing and Unsolved Facebook page. Both men are considered to be AWOL by officials at Fort Riley, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

Chris Grey, spokesman for the USA Criminal Investigation Command in Quantico, Virginia, said the Army believes the two men didn't disappear under suspicious circumstances. But he said that could change.

Wayne Hall, an Army spokesman, said after 30 days of no contact, Ferguson and Kappel will be "dropped from roles." If that happens, the men's names will be entered into the National Crime Information Center database, which is accessible by civilian police departments.

Connor Ferguson's father, Steve Ferguson, said it's out of character for his son to go AWOL, but that Connor began exhibiting strange behavior on July 17 when he was absent from morning formation. At that time, Ferguson told his superiors he would be absent because he was going to visit a sick relative in Indiana.

"That was a total lie," his father said. "No one is sick. He was partying in Topeka."

A flier from the Kansas Missing and Unsolved group said Kappel was last seen in Denver, trying to get to Indianapolis, but there was no mention of Connor Ferguson. The search and the unanswered questions are starting to wear on Ferguson's family.

"Someone has to be looking for the kid," Steve Ferguson said. "This is the worst experience I have ever been through."